Letter-file and cabinet.



No. 700,4l7. Patented May 20, I902.

W S GRANGE LETTER FILE AND CABINET.

- 2 Sheets-Sheet].

No. 700,4l7. Patented May 20, I902.

' W S GRANGE LETTER FILE AND CABINET.

T (Application filed Oct 24, 1899.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2Q UNITED STATES? WALLACEM SUMNER GRANGE, "OF KlRKLAND, ILLINOIS.

LETTER FIEE ANo'c BmET.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,417, dated May 20,'1902.

Application filed October 24,

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALLACE SUMNER GRANGE, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Kirkland, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented certain new I and useful Improvements in Letter-Files and. Cabinets; and I do declare vthe following to be afull, clear, andexact descriptiomofytheinvention, such as will enable others skilled in. f

the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beingh ad tothe accom-' panying drawings, and to thej'lettersand figures of reference marked thereon," which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to letter-files and'cabi- I net for the same; and ithas for its objects to, so construct the letter-file that when placed; in position in the cabinet one side of the filewill serve to close the openjside of the adjoining file and the upper part of. the front of the file will fit against a cleat on guard depending from the bottom of the horizontal partition or strip which divides .the cabinet into horizontal compartments; theproj ecting' top portion of the front fittingjagainst the cleat or guard andthe closed sideof one file constituting aclosure for the open side of the l a file adaptedtobetusedgin the manner speci fied that a swingingfclamp'or clasp may be,

' or clasp, said clasp or clamp, in another posi-, 4o tionservingto support the file in an inclined positionwh'e'n removed fromthejcabi'net, so

examined. y

It has alsofor its object to soconstruct and adjoining file and serving together to effectivelyexclnde (llJSll-fI'QIXlyiJlIG interior of the part'otthe same. 1,; I V 'Ithasfurther for itsobjcct to so construct used, which in one position will serve to hold the letters securely in place in the file and 7 allowthe files to be placed sideby'sidein the cabinet without interference from the-clamp that. thefcontents of thefile maybereadily apply the holding clasp;or.clam 'p; that when it is in position to clamp'-thecontents-of the file itwi-llibe held in that position by resilient pres'sure,-so that in releasing the clasp or tion through a portionof one of thepartie cabinet and from the severalfiles forming a 1 clamp from its holding position the resiliency, mentioned will assist in throwing the'claspon' 1899. Serial No. 734,668. (Ndmodel-J To the accomplishment of the toregoing and V such o he je ts a m y. he na e app 1 the invention consists in the constructionand 5 5 Y inthe combination of parts hereinafter par- J ticularly described and then sought, to be 7 specifically definediby'the claims, reference being had to the V accompanying drawings,; r 3 'forminga part hereof, and inwhich- 6o Figure 1 is a perspective of'the cabinetand ffiles', showing one'of the files partly drawn; out; Fig. 2 is aperspective of one of the files. Fig. 3 is a perspective ofafile with-its paper-, I clamp thrown back. vFig. 4; is a vertical'sec-l tions, showing the front wall of the file bearing -against the guard on bottom of the parti- V ;tion; and Fig. 5 is a verticalcross-section 1 @through one of the files. I I In the drawings the vnumeral 1 designates v the letter-file, which is formed with the closed side 2 and an open sidef3 andprovided atits lower endion the open sidewith' a cross piece or strip 4,-which on'jits inner edge'is 'preferably beveled, as shown at a, so asto form a 7 rest for the papers-and partition-cardswhen tilted forward in;the exarninationfof the letters or papersin thegfile, theicrosspiecejor I C strip serving to'preventf the papers andpar- YSQ l tition-cards from slippingont of the file at its I l lower portion. I For thepurpose ofholding'the-papersin the f L 3, file a metalclasp orjclamp '(d'esignatedby the 3 f J nume a lfi), i emp oyed-fihi c asp' r la n is made of stiIfwire'with-its endsfi b'ent at an g et its desla id t e d cb ctedy l a c nt po onfi, wh h'p 'e e b yis u ved; V or bent betweenitsen'ds,'so astoiallowof a slight contraction whenthe clasp'or clamp-is pressed,downbetweenthe opposite endwalls 1, of, the filecin; order ;,that the -tensiongthnsfcre,

'ated by the resiliency of the'wirewillhold the clasp or clamp tightly in position between the end walls of the file and against thepapers and partitionsor division-lcardsin thefile,rthis.ten sion creating snfficientf friction betweeiifthe clamp'andthe end walls ef theifile to holdjhe a p in its b n g "posi io al-and ihnsgeoin- 'stituti'ng the clasp'o'r clamp ajfrictional bindingclasp or clamp, the width.of th'ey clasp or clamp. beingBl htIYgr er than wi h between the end walls, seas to create'thene essary friction'for' holdingthe clampi'n pl The ends 0 of the frictional clasp or clamp are hinged or pivotally connected to the closed side 2 of the file by pivot-pins 9 or otherwise, so as to permit the clasp or clamp to be thrown over the end of the file. The solid side 2 at its opposite corners is formed with the slots 10, which serve to receive the ends 6 of the clasp or clamp when the latter is thrown to the rear of the file, thus bringing the sides 7 and central portion 8 of the clasp into the position indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, so that the clasp or clamp will serve as a support to hold the file in an inclined position while its contents are under examination. The rear wall 11 of the box is cut away on an incline, as shown, so as to enable the forefinger of the hand to be passed to the rear of one side of the friction clasp or clamp when in its binding position in order that the clasp may be thrown into its open position by the pressure of the forefinger against its sides at the cutaway portion of the rear wall. B y placing the forefinger against the side of the clasp, between it and the cut-away portion of the wall, and giving the forefinger a sharp or quick movement up the incline of the rear wall the clasp or clamp will be released, and the rebound caused by the clamp distending when released from its binding pressure will cause the clasp or clamp to swing sharply over the top of the file and to the rear thereof, and then by pressing the clamp backward, so as to bring its ends 6 substantially parallel with the solid side of the file, the clamp will be brought into position to support the file in its inclined position.

The front end wall 12 of thefile which constitutes the front of the file when the latter is in position in its cabinet is extended above the solid wall 2 of the file, so that when the file is placed in the cabinet the extended top portion 13 of the front wall 12 willbear against a cleat or guard 14, which projects from the under side of the horizontal partition or strip 15 of the cabinet 16, said cleat or guard ltlying back of the front edge of the strip or partition 15, so as to permit the projecting upper portion of the front wall 12 of the file to pass under the partition or strip 15 and bear against the cleat or guard 14, the cleat or guard 14 thus excluding all dust from the interior of the cabinet and from the contents of the file.

The cabinet lfi may be made of any approved pattern and dimensions. lVhen a nu mberot' the files are placed within this cabinet, the closed wallet one file will rest against the open side of the adjoining file, and thus constitute aclosure for the same, the side wall of the cabinet itself serving to close the open side of the end file next thereto. It will be observed that the construction of file which I have described is speciallydesigned for use with a cabinet and contemplates the use of a number of files-in which the closed side of one file will constitute a wall or closure for the open side of the adjoining file when a number of the tiles are placed in their cabi I net, and is also designed for use with a cabinet which has the cleat or guard, against which the extended upper portion of the front wall of the file will abut when the file is in position, so as to elfectively exclude all dust from the cabinet and also from the file contents.

The front wall 12 of the filewill be formed with an opening 17 for the reception of a card to designate the contents of the file.

I have illustrated and described with particularity the preferred details of construction and arrangement of parts; but it is obvious that changes can be made in the details and the essential features of my invention still be employed.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is 1. The file and cabinet consisting of the cabinet provided with horizontal partitionsor strips having depending cleats 0r guards on the under side thereof, said cleats or guards set back from the outer edges of the horizontal portions, and a number of files each formed with one open side and arranged so that the closed side of one will close the open side of the adjoining file, each file having its front end wall extended above its side wall and formed with a shoulder below its top edge so as to have the extended portion bear against the face of the depending cleat or guard and the shoulder to lie below the under side of the depending cleat, substantially as described.

2. A cabinet paper-file havingone open side with its front end wall extended above the closed side of the file, means for holding the contents of the file in place, and a cross-strip extending across the open side at the lower end of the file, the top edge of said strip being below the middle portion of the file, substan tially as described.

3. A cabinet paper-file having one open side with a cross piece or strip across its lower portion and a front and a rear wall and open top, its front end wall being extended above the closed side of the file, and a frictionally-held swinging clasp or clamp for holding the contents of the file in place, said clamp adapted to be swung over to the rear of the closed side of said file to form a support therefor, substantially as described.

4:. Acahinetpaper-filehavingone openside and provided with a swinging resilient clasp or clamp of greater width than the space between the end walls of the files whereby itis adapted to be held in clamping position by frictional contact with a part of the file, said clamp being pivotally secured to the file near its upperportion to adapt it to be swung to the rear of the closed side of the file to constitute a support for holding the file in an inclined position, substantially as described.

5. A cabinet paper-file having one open side and front and rear end walls, the rear end wall having an inclined cut-away portion, and a swinging resilient clasp or clamp adapted to be held in clamping position by frictional con-' tact with a part of the file, a part of said clamp lying adjacentto the-inclinedcut-away portionof the rear end=wall 'ofthefile, whereby the finger may be inserted between said'part of the clamp and the cut-away portion of the end wall for the purpose of releasing the clamp substantially as-described.

6. A cabinet paper-file having one open side and having the upper portion of the closed side slotted, in combination with a swinging clasp or clamp having its sides extended at an angle to its'ends so asto ada'ptits ends'to lie in the slotted portions of the closed side when the clasp or clamp is swung to the rear of the closed side with the sides of the clamp in position to support the'file in an inclined position, substantially as described;

7. A cabinet paper-'filehaving an open and a closed side, and means for be'a'ring'again'st the contents of the file to hold them in place,

said means being adapted to'be swung over to the rear of said'closed side to form a support for the file, substantially asi'described,

" 8. A cabinet paper-filehaving one open; and a closed side, and a swinging clasp or clamp adapted to be swungover tothe rear of the closed'side to form'a supportfor the file, said clamp'having itsfside extendewatan anglTto its ends, and the ends forming a rest for the.

file when the clamp is swung over to the rear of theclosed side of said file, substantiallyas 

